


Two in - three out

by Polarnacht



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Time, M/M, Parabatai Bond, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:54:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21593401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polarnacht/pseuds/Polarnacht
Summary: The war between the Circle and the Clave is still raging. Valentine has never gone into hiding, Jace is still living with Valentine when he meets Alec….------------------------------In this fic it is not forbidden for Parabatai to become lovers….
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland, Jalec
Comments: 27
Kudos: 71





	1. The beginning

The first time Alec and Jace had met was in battle. Alec had just turned sixteen, in former times, before the Circle gained so much power, sixteen would have been considered too young for a battle like this. Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Even older, more experienced fighters despised that. Fighting against a soulless demon was one thing, fighting against a fellow Nephilim something else. But the Clave had no choice. The Uprising had been a success, at least partially. The alliance of Shadowhunters and Downworlders had not been successful to stop Valentine and his Circle. At least, they had managed to hide the Mortal Instruments, so that Valentine was not able to enlarge his army in any other way but to recruit new members. However as he grew more powerful, more Shadowhunters joined him – power always calling to the weak. 

The alliance between Downworld and Clave was fragile, both sides not fully trusting the other. So most of the time, they fought on their own, Downworlders for Downworlders and Shadowhunters for Shadowhunters. So when the Clave learned about an attack of the Chicago institute, they rallied every available Shadowhunter, even the ones considered too young, to defend the institute. Alec being one of the strongest fighters at his age was among them. It was his first real battle and he hated to admit it, but he was nervous. He had fought against demons before, also killed some rouge vampires or Seelies, but he had never fought in something like that. Most of the time, he had also fought side by side with his sister, Izzy. As she was only thirteen, her parents forbid her to join. She was furious, but this time it didn’t help, Maryse and Robert were not wavering. The Lightwoods also stayed back, being in charge of the New York Institute, they had to secure their own Institute. 

So Alec was more or less on his one when stepping through the portal to the Chicago Institute. Of course he knew some of the other Shadowhunters, but not like he knew Izzy. He was glad that she was safe in New York, but on the other hand he missed her by his side. They were a great fighting team, balancing each other out. And he knew that this was a fight for life or death, he had heard countless tales of the Circle slaying Clave Shadowhunters, not showing any kind of mercy towards their fellow Nephilim. 

The Chicago Institute was led by the Cartwrights, an old Shadowhunter family, similar to the Lightwoods. Alec had met them on occasion, not really sure what to think of them. They were arrogant, still very much caged in the old feelings of superiority towards mundanes and Downworlders. But they were good fighters, so Alec hoped they had figured out a good strategy. Because he was sure of one thing: he wanted to make it home alive. He had promised his sister to return safely, both of course knowing that this was not a promise he was necessarily able to keep. When going on a hunt at home in New York, they had always made a vow to each: Two go in, two come out. 

Alec strengthened the grip on his bow, this time it would be one in and one out.  
He was positioned on the upper floor, on the gallery, so that he had a good overview over the entrance hall. They were not sure where the fight would start, the spy not knowing about the details, only about the when and where. Before Alec could think for too long, a huge portal appeared in the middle of the entrance room. Demons were the first to purr out of it, closely followed by Circle Shadowhunters. All of them had a red Circle branded on the side of their neck. Without really thinking, Alec let an arrow fly and the first demon vanished into thin air. Relentlessly he drew arrow after arrow and shot them into the crowd. But more and more demons and Circle members appeared, the army was huge. When finally Valentine stepped through the portal, Alec drew in a sharp breath. Valentine was an impressive figure, tall, muscular and he radiated power in a way Alec had never seen before. With a wink of his hand, he commanded the demons to do his bidding. Alec had no clue how Valentine had enslaved the demons, but he also did not have time to think about it. The Clave had underestimated the resourcefulness of the Circle, again. They had the better positions, but the sheer amount of Valentines people was overwhelming, and the Shadowhunters had to retreat. Alec still stood at his position at the gallery, firing one arrow after the other. On instinct, he suddenly turned around, just in time to block an attack from a Circle member with his bow. He managed to draw his Seraph blade and burry it deep in the chest of the man in front of him. 

The rest of the fight happened in a blur. Alec fought without thinking. Twice it had been a close call, but he managed. Suddenly, he found himself in a room which he thought to be the Head Office of the Institute. He had no idea how he had ended up there. As he was still fighting a Circle member, he had also no time to dwell about it. When he managed to cut the other man’s throat, he sighed heavily. He was covered in blood, some of it his own, thankfully most of it not. But he knew he would have nightmares of that day – if he would live to experience them. He tried to still his breath, as it was coming in sharp intakes. He thought he had a short break, when he turned around. In front of him was standing the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. Also covered in blood, holding a seraph blade in each hand. He was a bit smaller than Alec, also seemed to be a bit younger, but not much. His blond hair, strained with blood, was falling in his eyes. The eyes. Alec couldn’t help but stare, they were of a sparkling blue with just a hint of gold in the left one. He had never seen eyes like that. On the left side, on his neck, the dark red Circle rune was visible. Alec felt a pang of wrongness, surely the boy was too young to be marked already in that way. 

For a moment, the two boys just stared at each other, both clearly fascinated by the other. But then the blonde boy leaped towards Alec, one hand risen above his head, ready to strike. Alec was able to block the blow, but he lost his seraph blade in the process. It shattered to the ground, too far away for Alec to retrieve it. He was able to place a kick to the blonde's stomach, causing the younger boy to back away a little, giving Alec enough time to draw his spare blade, which had been hidden at his side. They fought like Alec had never fought before. The boy was good, faster and stronger than most other Shadowhunters Alec had fought so far, despite his young age. Alec held his ground, but finally the blonde got the upper hand and was able to land a kick right to Alec’s chin. His head flew back and he stumbled to the floor, losing his blade again. In one swift move, the blonde was above him, one seraph blade pointing at Alec’s throat. Alec stilled. This was it. The end. I’m sorry, Izzy, he thought. He closed his eyes; but when the final blow didn’t come, he opened them again, finding the boy's beautiful mismatched eyes fixed on him. The boy was sitting on Alec thighs, not allowing him to move. The blade was still pressed against his throat, he could feel the sharp edge cutting him a little. But not more. The other boy was also sitting completely still, just looking at him. Their eyes locked for what felt like an eternity, in reality it had been mere seconds.

“Jonathan!” they heard a loud voice calling. The blonde boy, Jonathan, as it seemed, tensed remarkably. Slowly he put his index finger over Alec’s mouth, indicating to not make a noise. Alec complied. He felt the cut on his throat deepen, but not in a way it was dangerous. When the boy used the blood which purred out of the wound to cover Alec’s face and neck, he understood what Jonathan was about to do. He nodded, closed his eyes and willed himself to lay completely still. 

“Jonathan!” he heard the voice calling again, steps drawing closer. “In here father”, the boy replied. “I’ve found the Office and I think I know where it is hidden”. The blonde quickly stood up, not looking at Alec again, but standing at the opposite wall when a handful Circle members came into the room. Judging by the noises they made, they teared down a complete wall, but Alec didn’t dare to look up. He knew what would happen if the others would find out that he was not dead. “Here it is, Valentine” he heard one woman say. Valentine! Alec thought. The same voice which had earlier called the boy Jonathan, answered in a calm but commanding voice. “Well done Clearance. Hand it to me! Come on boy, we are leaving.”

With that, they left.

Later one, Alec had no real recollection how he got back to the Institute. He knew that he reported to some Clave official what he had overheard in the Chicago’s office, but not mentioning the boy. Jonathan, Alec thought. The name didn’t seem to fit. He shook his head, what a strange thing to think. He was not sure why he didn’t mention him, but it felt right that way. After he finished his report, he was let to the Infirmary, Izzy already waiting for him. She threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. “Hey Iz”, he murmured softly, glad to be able to hold her in his arms. He was not insured badly, a miracle considering most of the others were dead. He just had a few cuts and bruises. But he was exhausted to the bones. He felt so tired, even too tired to wash away the blood and ichor he was covered in. He was glad that his sister took care of him, rubbing of the dirt with a warm cloth. When she was done, she curled up beside him, stating that she was not going to leave him. He was so grateful to have her by his side. As much as he had known that he was not going to tell a Clave official about Jonathan, as much he was certain that he needed to tell Isabelle. “So he called Valentine his father?” Isabelle asked. “I didn’t know that Valentine has a son.” Neither did Alec, but they were eager to find out more about the mysterious (and beautiful) boy who had spared Alec’s life.


	2. The Pull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, here is the second chapter - I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for leaving kudos and comments, they really make my day :-)

Izzy and Alec had always been close, much closer than other siblings they had met along the way. Maryse and Robert never had been loving or supporting parents, they had always put missions, work and the Clave in general first. Both siblings knew what was expected of them: work and train hard, respect the law and honor the Lightwood name. So whenever one of them failed in the eyes of their parents, they were hit by joint disapproval, finding only comfort in the other sibling. Alec often thought that if it wasn’t for Izzy, he would not know what love really was. But she was there, strong and steady but yet so vulnerable at the same time. Alec knew how much she suffered from the cold treatment of their parents, especially their mother and he hated Maryse for it. Deep down he knew he would never be enough to meet their parents' expectations or gain their love; and neither would be Izzy – regardless how hard they tried. So when he grew older, he ceased to stop hoping and longing for it. Instead, he loved his sister with all his heart. Being her older brother, he knew that it was his job to protect her, a job he gladly fulfilled. But in the aftermath of the battle, it was her protecting him. As he had suspected, he had nightmares. Blurred dreams of blood and screams hunted him every time he tried to sleep, making him relive every moment of that dreadful fight. He knew he had nothing to blame himself for, he had to kill the other Shadowhunters, otherwise they would have killed him, but knowing it and feeling it weren’t exactly the same. He was glad that Izzy sneaked into his room every night to comfort him, as he had done so many times when she had been a little girl. 

He was also glad that Izzy helped him with his little, private investigation. As much as he couldn’t shake the nightmares, he also couldn’t shake the intense feeling whenever he thought about that blonde boy. Sometimes he still felt the touch of the boy’s finger on his lips, sending a wanting shiver down his spine. 

Izzy was a genius when it came to research, so both of them were truly disappointed when they came up with nothing. In no database the name Jonathan Morgenstern appeared – or the fact that Valentine had a son at all for that matter. Disappointed but also baffled. Izzy promised to ask around among her Downworld friends if they knew anything, discreetly of course. 

After a successful minor mission to hunt down a revenor demon, Izzy took the opportunity to meet up with one of her friends, Magnus Bane. She had met him some time ago during another mission and they had developed a mutual liking. At first, Alec had been suspicious – despite her young age, Izzy was already a stunning beauty with her long, wavy chocolate-brown her and her blistering eyes. And Magnus Bane – well, he had a reputation. But Magnus had reassured him that he saw himself more as her tutor and would never touch her in that way or hurt her in general. Alec believed him in the end, secretly being glad that Izzy had found a kind of father figure in her life. She truly deserved that. Therefore he had no objections when Izzy went to see him in the middle of the night using a portal Magnus thankfully provided. 

Alec had glamoured himself so that the Mundanes would’nt see him – not that many were around at this point of time and this area of town. He was just a block away from the Institute in a small, dark alley when he tensed. Somebody was behind him, following him. With one swift move he drew his bow and turned around, ready to let an arrow fly. At the entrance of the alley stood a boy, a blonde boy Alec would recognize among millions. He wore a dark leather jackets, black jeans and biker boots. He looked stunning. Alec blushed when realizing the turn his thoughts had taken. As before, during the battle, they stood there for a long moment, just staring at each other. Suddenly, the boy turned around, walking away. Puzzled, Alec just stood there, not sure what to do. When Jonathan realized that Alec was not following him, he looked around, raising one eyebrow and smirking at him. This was all it took to convince Alec to follow this strange boy. Apparently he knew where he wanted to go, as he turned right, then left, then right again without any sign of hesitation. He also never turned back again to make sure Alec was still behind him, it seemed he trusted the older boy to follow. What Alec did. 

Finally they reached a run-down house, which clearly had been unoccupied for a while. Jonathan stepped through the front door, leading Alec to a room which had most probably been the living room. A couch was still standing crouched into a corner, a wooden table with only three legs standing in the middle of the room. Alec stepped tentatively in, not knowing what to expect. Rationally he was aware how dangerous it was to follow a stranger – and not any stranger, a circle member – like this, but his guts told him otherwise. If the boy wanted him dead Alec would not be standing there. He would be dead already. Nevertheless he was cautious, the bow still in his hands, but not aiming at Jonathan. 

Jonathan turned around to look at him and Alec couldn’t help but take in a sharp breath. The room was mostly dark, only illuminated by the witchlight the blonde was holding, the bluish, warm light emphasizing the sharp jawline and the beautiful, mismatched eyes. Jonathan seemed relaxed, but Alec’s expert eyes noticed that he held his right hand close to his waistband, where for sure a seraph blade or dagger was hidden. Alec had played the conversation in his head over and over for at least a hundred times, but when the boy was now standing right in front of him, words failed him. So, as a first act of trust, he laid down his bow on the table, holding up his hands as to show that he was not a threat. He stepped forward while at the exact moment Jonathan did the same, drawn together like magnets. Alec was not sure who had kissed who first. But it also didn’t matter. What mattered was the hot mouth pressed to his lips, the wet tongue demanding entrance to his lips. And Alec happily complied. He opened his mouth to let Jonathan enter, not really knowing what he did as this was his first kiss. And what kind of kiss it was. Heated, passionate and a bit desperate. He pulled the smaller boy closer, liking that the other one had to tilt his head to be able to kiss him. He would never forget the smell of him, iron combined with honey. Blood and honey Alec thought. How fitting. When they finally broke apart they breathed both heavily. Alec couldn’t help but trace Jonathan’s jawline with his thump, following his neck and softly brushing the lines of the Circle rune.

“Tell me”, he whispered against the younger boy’s lips. “Tell me who you are, Jonathan.” The boy winced and pulled away slightly, Alec couldn’t tell if it was because of him touching the rune or of him using his name. He stilled and just looked at the other, not wanting the boy to feel threatened. After a long pause, he heard the blonde say:  
“Don’t call me that. Only my father calls me that. And I hate him. It is not even my real name, I guess. He had a first son who died in a fire when he was little. His name was Jonathan, he didn’t even bother to give me my own name when I was born. Jonathan Christopher, the second” he spat. Alec could not help himself but kiss the other boy again, not knowing how else to sooth the clear pain of the other. “Shh, it’s ok. We will find you a new one.” The boys sat down on the shaggy couch, their fingers laced together. Absentminded, Alec let his thump draw a circle on Jace’s palm, a soothing gesture which seemed to calm the other boy. It was so easy to be physical with him, why was it so easy? Alec thought. He looked intensely at the blonde, finally saying with determination: “Jace. That is your name”. And Jace only laughed, a laugh which could light up an entire room. “Jace it is.” he said with a smirk. “Jonathan Christopher, J.C, Jace. Fits”. Then they were kissing again. And again. Between kisses, they told each other about their lives. Alec learned about the harsh upbringing, Valentine constantly punishing and pushing Jace, keeping him pretty much isolated from any other human being. Alec could not help but feel sad for the other boy, he knew that without Izzy by his side everything would have been so much worse for him. And in comparison to Valentine, the Lightwoods were perfect parents. 

When Jace learned Alec’s name, he was surprised, to put it mildly. Jace had heard many times about the Lightwoods. They were known as one of the biggest traitors in the Circle’s history. Alec was furious. His parents had never told him anything about supporting the Circle, they had lied to him his entire life. All the pressure of being a perfect soldier for the Clave – a mockery in regards of what they had done. But he did his best to suppress his feelings, at least for now. This was not the place or the time to dwell on it, this time with Jace was too precious. 

They were both so lost in themselves, lost in their kisses and touches and stories, that they didn’t notice the room getting brighter, the first breath of morning already visible on the night’s sky. When they finally took in their surroundings again, they both startled with surprise.

“I need to go before he finds out” Jace whispers, kissing Alec one last time. And he made sure that it was a good kiss, putting all his feelings in it. Alec couldn’t help but gasp when he felt Jace sucking lightly on his neck, tracing his deflect rune with his tongue. He couldn’t help but moan when Jace bit down lightly, making sure to leave a mark on his neck. He also couldn’t help the feeling of joy and arousal at the thought of being marked by the other boy. 

“I need to see you again.” “I will come and find you, Alec.” With this, Jace was gone, leaving Alec in the dim morning light. Alec felt suddenly cold and he wrapped his arms around himself protectively. “Please come” Alec whispered softly to himself. “Please find me”.


	3. Burning Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, a new chapter is up - I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. A big thanks to everyone who read my story so far, left kudos or even commented- it is always thrilling to read what you think. And please excuse all mymistakes, English is not my native tongue (I’ve corrected some errors in the first chapters but I am sure there are plenty left).

Alec couldn’t tell how he had made his way back to the Institute. He was still high on the adrenaline of his first kiss with Jace, but feeling utterly sad at the same time. He knew it was dangerous to get involved with Jace, for several reasons. First, he was a Circle member, Valentine’s own son even. Second, he was a boy, something his parents would never accept. Third, he didn’t know him. At all. They just had seen each other twice. Despite all these facts, Alec knew that it was a lost cause. He was already head over heels in love with that boy. And apparently, the other one liked him back. Jace had even gone so far as to seek him ought despite the risk this provided, something which really struck Alec. He was so used to be overlooked and be forgotten; it was a miracle to him that someone that beautiful and interesting bothered to look for him. 

Alec blushed at the thought that he had told Jace how beautiful he found him, but in the heat of the moment it just had slipped out. 

It was already morning when he sneaked into his room, his parents thankfully too busy to notice that he had been gone the entire night. Izzy, on the contrary, had noticed. When he opened the door to his room, he was greeted by a punch to his biceps, followed by a tight embrace “Ouch, Iz, what was that for?” Alec huffed. But of course he understood that she had been worried when she had not been able to find him in the Institute after returning from Magnus. He was glad that she had not told his parents that he had been missing, even if she had considered it for a brief moment. That alone a clear sign of her distress. He hated that he had made her worried, promising to her and himself that next time he would call or at least text her. 

It was hard to tell her about their parents being former Circle members. To see his own disappointment and fury mirrored in her eyes made his stomach clench. They both couldn’t believe that their parents had lied to them, but even worse was that they were such hypocrites, preaching water but drinking wine. It was a final blow in an already shaken relationship, a blow from which they would never recover. 

It was really easy to tell Izzy about Jace, his eyes glowing at the memory. Absentmindedly he rubbed the hickey Jace had left on him – marked him with. When he saw the smirk on Izzy’s face, he blushed in a deep shade of red. But Izzy just laughed it off, she was happy for him, Alec could tell. And so was he.

When days became weeks and Alec had still not heard from Jace, he grew anxious. His whole body ached for the other boy, to feel his breath again on his skin, to touch him again, to kiss him again, to talk to him again. If Alec just knew that Jace was alright. But he didn’t, for all he knew Jace could lay dead in the gutter. Even if Alec trusted someone besides Izzy, which he did not, he couldn’t have asked someone about him, as no one seemed to know he existed in the first place. 

Izzy had not been able to come up with much. Magnus had heard rumors about an offspring of Valentine, but nothing concrete, yet promising to hold his eyes and ears open. 

Alec found himself wandering more frequently around the building they had met the second time. It was the only anchoring point he had. So far, he had never gotten lucky, there had never been a trace of the blond. This time, more than a month after their last encounter, Alec finally saw a crouched, hooded figure sitting on the couch. The figure jumped of the sofa in an instant, a dagger in one hand, ready to fight. Jace. The blond relaxed remarkably when realizing who the intruder was, but if Alec had thought that Jace would be happy to see him, he was wrong. 

“What are you doing here, Alec? Go away. I don’t want to see you.” the boy spat with a defiant glare. Alec was perplex. He had come up with so many reasons why Jace had not contacted him, it never had occurred to him that the other boy simply didn’t want to see him. Shame arouse in him, hot burning shame but also anger. He couldn’t believe that the other boy had fooled him so profoundly, most probably laughing behind his back about his clumsy attempts of kissing and making out. “I don’t want to see you” – these words stung, so much that he wanted to cry. However, his own vulnerability made him so angry that he just threw himself against the other boy, wanting to hurt Jace as much as he had hurt Alec. Jace had not foreseen the attack, being caught up in his own thoughts. Alec took advantage of Jace’s distraction and, using his full body impact, he pushed him to the ground, roles reversed this time. Before he could even start to think, he punched the other boy hard in the face. He felt more than he saw Jace’s bottom lip crack open, but it was not enough. It was not enough to still his anger and make up for the humiliation he felt, so he hit him again. At least he tried. This time, Jace was prepared and turned his head, so that Alec’s fist collided painfully with the ground. Through this maneuver Jace’s hood slipped of his head, revealing his complete face. 

Alec froze. His brain could not comprehend what he saw. One side of Jace’s face was like he remembered it. A piercing blue eye, sharp jawline, smooth skin. But the other. He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it. The other side of Jace’s face was covered in angry, red scars, barely healed. Like he had been whipped. Alec let out a sharp breath, just then realizing that he had been holding it the whole time. With gentle fingers he brushed over the scars, a single tear sliding down his own cheek. Underneath him, Jace laid still as if he was frozen. “Get of me”, the younger boy choked out. “Not the beautiful sight you expected, don’t you think?” He turned his head away, trying to hide his scarred side. It was then when the realization hit Alec. Why the other boy had not contacted him. The younger boy thought that Alec liked him only because of his looks, or something like that. Another wave of shame rose in him, this time not because of his feelings towards Jace, but because of his actions and lack of understanding. “I’m so sorry” Alec whispered in a low voice, so low he barely heard it himself. With a gentle but firm grip to Jace chin he turned his head, forcing the boy to look up at him. Not breaking eye contact, Alec leaned forward and kissed Jace. He kissed every single scar, every skin he could find on Jace’s face. And finally, he kissed Jace’s lips, tasting the blood for which he, Alec, was responsible. When he felt Jace’s lips part, relieve flushed through his body. He couldn’t suppress a shudder, when the younger boy’s tongue entered his mouth, answering his kiss with the same desperation he felt. Pulling Jace up in a sitting position without breaking their kiss, he wrapped his arms tightly around the younger boy, pulling him even closer. He didn’t know how he would make up for punching the other one, but he knew he had to, somehow. Otherwise he would never be able to forgive himself. When they finally broke the kiss, Jace rested his forehead on Alec’s shoulder. Without looking up, Jace said just one single word, which froze the blood in Alec’s veins. Valentine. Valentine had been responsible for this. Lost for words, he just hold the other boy while he was crying long overdue tears. Jace’s whole body was shaking; once he had started he was not able to stop, clinging to the older boy for dear life. Alec was just sitting there, holding him steadily, giving him all the comfort he was capable of. 

Slowly, Jace calmed down. His sobs became quieter and finally stopped. When Alec felt that the other one wanted to retreat, he tightened his grip, not wanting to force the other to stay but to show him that he wanted to hold him. With a sigh, Jace relaxed into Alec, looking up shyly at him. Again, Alec leaned in to kiss Jace, to kiss away the tears and the blood. And, hopefully, some of the pain. 

“I thought you would not want me anymore, being so ugly now.” Jace murmured. “You are still the most beautiful boy in the world to me and you ever will be”, Alec answered in earnest. “Besides, don’t you think I’m pretty enough for the both of us?” he added with a smirk. His heart made a leap when he heard Jace laugh, a real, genuine laugh. It soon faded away, but it was a start. Making Jace laugh like that was something Alec could and wanted to get used to. 

Alec nudged Jace gently towards the sofa. Not letting go of each other, they curled up, Jace resting his head in Alec’s lap. While Alec run his fingers through Jace’s golden hair, Jace started to tell Alec why his father had scarred him like that. Somehow, Valentine had found out that Jace had spared someone’s life during the battle at the Chicago’s Institute. Thankfully, he did not know whose life it had been or that Jace had met Alec again, but the mere fact that Jace had shown mercy was enough to anger Valentine beyond measure. Valentine had whipped Jace before, but always his back – many scars telling the stories of countless punishments. This time, to teach the boy a real lesson, he had beaten up his face. Jace had to count every lash of the whip, otherwise he would have been beaten even more. When the punishment was over, Jace had not been allowed to use an Iratze, Valentine wanted the wounds to scar – to remind Jace everyday where mercy let him. 

This time it was Alec who cried and Jace kissed away his tears.

“Can you forgive me?” asked Alec with tears still in his eyes. “For hitting you, for hurting you?” “I already have”, was the blonds answer, followed by another deep kiss. 

“We run away. You have to get away from that man. We just go quickly back to the Institute, fetch Izzy, grab some money and we will be gone. Izzy knows a warlock who will certainly provide us a portal and shut up about it!” 

Jace looked away, taking Alec’s hands in his when looking back at him.

“You need to go, Alec”. Nearly the same words as before, but this time spoken with a soft and gentle voice. “I’m doomed, but you need to go Alec. You need to get away from me. Otherwise he will find out about you and destroy you. And I could not handle that, I need you to live!” Reluctantly, Jace carried on why running away was not an option. The Circle rune was not just a normal rune. With the help of demon poison, Valentine had turned it into a powerful tracking device, which could track even above water. No place in the world would be far away enough to hide from Valentine’s wrath. 

When this realization sunk in, Alec felt tired, so tired as if he had fought a battle. His mind was racing at the same time, there had to be a way to protect Jace from his father. Slowly tracing the ugly Circle rune with his finger, and idea formed in his head. “There is no way in hell I will run away from you or let you run away from me. I will come for you, no matter what. When this rune ties you to your father for good, there is only one way. We have to get it off you. We will erase it.” And before Jace could speak against it, voice any valid concerns he might have, Alec continued: “Sh, I’ve seen Izzy enough times applying tons of make up to learn one thing: With the right remover, you can get rid of everything.” Jace laugh in responds was the most beautiful thing Alec had ever heard.


	4. Against all Odds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, the final chapter is up! It got a bit ouf of hand and is therefore twice as long as the others - but I hope you do like it anyway :-)

When the Clave finally discovered what Valentine had found at the Chicago’s Institute, the complete Shadow World was at high alert. The Cartwrights had somehow found the Mortal Mirror and hidden it in the walls of the Institute, thinking the wards of the High Warlock of Chicago would be enough to protect it. But Valentine had found a way to preach the wards and claim one of the Mortal Instruments. As all members of the Cartwright family had died during the attack, the knowledge of the hidden Mirror had gone lost and only due to a reliable spy in the ranks of the Circle the truth finally came out – months after the actual attack.

What could have caused the end of an anyway unstable alliance, finally brought the Downworld and the Shadowhunters together. The immediate danger of Valentine having one Mortal Instrument was too high to be ignored, new pacts between the two groups were forged under the lead of High Warlocks, Werewolf Alphas, Vampire Clan Leaders and the Inquisitor of the Clave. Even the Seelies left their protected realm to join forces with them. In the first time of history, they really worked together, putting all differences aside – Werewolf fighting next to Vampire, Warlocks together with Seelies and Shadowhunters. They fought side by side as equals and died side by side as equals. It could be the beginning of a new, promising era. But first, they had to defeat the Circle for good.

The Clave gave out a brutal strategy – every Shadowhunter or Downworlder considered part of the Circle or in alliance with it was sentenced to death. A standing kill order was issued for all former and active members, the Inquisitor determined to wipe out all of Valentine’s supporters. The new Downworld Alliance was successful and effective, winning battle over battle against the Dark Shadowhunters. When only the inner circle of Valentine was left, the Alliance prepared for one last blow. They had figured out where Valentine was hiding, on a massive boat called The Morning Star. The plan was as simple as it was merciless: Enter the Morning Star and kill everyone on it. 

Meanwhile, Izzy and Alec prepared for their own battle. Izzy had always had a thing for forensic science, therefore she spent a lot of time experimenting with the Circle rune – thanks to the war there was no shortage of bodies. As Alec had suspected, removing the rune was not the main issue. Alec learned that there was a deruning device, which was used to strip Shadowhunters of their marks. Digging deep into the history of deruning, Alec learned that even if nowadays the deruning process was performed by Silent Brothers, it was by no means necessary. Every Shadowhunter could derune another, assumed he had the respective device. A scary thought, but very helpful in their situation. They only had to come up with a plan to lay hands on one of these devices. 

In former days this undertaking would have been nearly impossible. But as the New York Institute was close to the Silent City, a lot of Circle prisoners past through it. Before sentenced to death, a lot of them were sent to the Silent City to be tortured for information. Alec had been able to assign himself to such a convoy. Alec had never been to the Silent City before, but Magnus had provided valuable insights. As Izzy had vouched for his reliability and discretion, Alec had finally given in and reluctantly involved the warlock. Being the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus had been granted access to the Silent Brother’s City once – and luckily he had paid close attention to every detail and therefore was able to provide Alec with location of the storage place of the deruning device. 

The Silent City was as frightening as Alec had ever imagined. Bones and skulls leading the way to the entrance gate, reminding Alec that the second name for the place was City of Bones. As the convoy was huge, they did not hand over the prisoners at the gate, but escorted them inside to the cells. Deeper and deeper the path led into the cave, only a fair light illuminating every step. Nearly deprived of one sense, the other’s sharpened and Alec could hear faint screams in the distance. He shuddered. He was very well aware of the fact, that if he was found out, he would spent the rest of his life in one of these cells – or worse. But Jace was worth any risk. They needed to find a way to get the Circle Rune of him, deactivate the tracking – and, last but not least, find him alive. Should be a piece of cake. A grim smile played around his lips while he walked deeper into the Silent City. The strange voices of the Silent Brothers were echoing in his head, but he paid more attention to his surroundings. According to Magnus there was supposed to be a hall with three exists: one the way back to the entrance, one to the cells and one to the storage facilities. Somehow he had to sneak into this room and grab the device – without anyone noticing. He had a good understanding how the device should look like, he had seen many drawings in the old history books. Unfortunately – or thankfully – he had never witnessed a deruning first hand. 

When arriving at said hall, Alec knew he needed a distraction. He secretly freed two Circle members and shoved them against each other. While stumbling around, the Dark Shadowhunters realized that they were not longer bound and they took their chance to fight for their freedom. During the tumult which occurred in the process, Alec was able to sneak away unseen, thanks to the dim lightening. Once in the storage room, it was surprisingly easy to detect the device – the Silent Brothers kept an order similar to a mundane police evidence room. Relieve run through his body when he carefully stored the precious item in his fighting gear. Being only minutes away, nobody noticed his absence. Part one of the plan was accomplished.

Part two, removing the tracking spell caused by the demon poisoning, was tricky. Obviously, they couldn’t experiment on living people. First, they thought by removing the rune the tracking was also gone. But Magnus proved them wrong. His magic was partially Edom origin and therefore he was able to sense demonic presence, even on corpses. When they found out that removing the rune did not do the trick, they were devastated, but not prepared to give up. Izzy spent nearly all her free time in the morgue, trying to figure out the right potion. Alec couldn’t help but feel proud when Izzy finally found a solution, an antidote to the demonic poison. She had always been the smart one, he thought fondly.

They had found it just in time. When Alec learned about the Clave’s plans for the final attack, he knew that this was his only chance. If Jace were still alive, he would be on that ship, by the side of his father. Alec didn’t doubt that Jace truly hated his father and didn’t support his views, but he also knew that Jace would fight for his life. So they had to find him quickly before the Alliance could kill him, and bring him back to the Institute, where they could start the deruning process. 

Growing up alone with his sister in a huge Institute had had its benefits. Maryse and Robert had been often in Idris attending important work business, leaving the kids to themselves. They had played hide and seek plenty of times in the catacombs of the Institute, not bothered by any parental supervision. During one of their games, they had discovered a secret passage, leading them to a rarity in the Shadow World: A permanent portal. It originally led only to one place in the Hamptons, but with the help of Magnus, who had invented the concept of portals way back together with the Shadowhunter Henry Branwell, they were able to modify it to portal them wherever they wanted. 

This time, Izzy plainly refused to stay behind. No matter what point Alec brought up, she remained stubborn. In the end, Alec had to give in, especially because she had the better reasons on her side. As Alec was assigned to the mission anyway, he had to go with the Alliance’s army, everything else would have been suspicious. Izzy would go through their hidden portal, glamouring the portal but leaving it open, so that they could escape quickly. Izzy would stay close to the portal garding it. If she saw Jace - thanks to his scarred face he would be hard to miss - she would contact Alec via a walkie-talkie. 

While gearing up, they two sibling had their usual banters, the normality soothing both their nerves. When they said their goodbyes, hugging for the last time, Izzy smiled at him. “This time it will be two in and three out, big brother. Don’t worry, we will bring your Jace home”. With that, she turned around and made her way to the portal. 

When Alec stepped through the official portal provided by a warlock, he felt the familiar calmness of a hunt. As soon as he felt solid ground under his feet, he started scanning his surroundings. The battle was already in full motion, screams echoing through the deck; the ground was already covered in blood. Alec didn’t waste time to engage in any of the fights, he just looked out for Jace. Of course he had to fight one or the other Circle member, but he tried to stay away from the worst trouble. On deck he was not able to detect Jace, so he decided to go under. Finally he found the stairway which led below. Not wasting any more time he jumped down the stairs, his seraph blade ready to strike. He frantically searched for the blond boy, with every room he passed his hope sank. What if he was too late and Jace already dead? He also hadn’t heard from Izzy besides a first massage that she successfully portaled to the Morning Star. He had nearly given up, when he eventually discovered the younger boy. Jace, he thought with relieve, a new blast of energy running through his body. 

Fearless and desperate; with his back against a wall, Jace was fighting two Shadowhunters at the same time. He swirled around like a whirlwind, countering every blow of the Shadowhunters. In any other circumstances it would have been beautiful to watch; Jace in action was like a force of nature. But as it was a fight for life and death, Alec only tried to figure out a way to save Jace. Alec registered that Jace was already bleeding from a wound at the abdomen. He was a powerful fighter, but injured against two grown up Shadowhunters, he would not last much longer. Alec needed to act, act quickly. Not wanting to kill fellow Shadowhunters, he decided to use the hilt of his blade to knock them out. The fear for Jace gave him the strength he needed, and with two heavy blows he was able to immobilize the Clave members without causing main injuries.

When Jace realized who had saved him, his eyes widened in shock and awe. For a few seconds, both boys just stood there staring at each other, as so many times before. The noise of the battle faded to the back of his mind when Alec got lost in the eyes of his lover. “You found me.” Jace sounded baffled and so full of disbelief and joy, that Alec’s heart skipped a beat. He closed the distance between them with two quick steps and pulled the younger boy close. “Always” he murmured, before claiming Jace’s mouth with a harsh kiss. It took every inch of willpower in Alec’s body to draw away after a while, knowing very well that they had to leave, yet the urge to just stand there and hold Jace close was nearly overwhelming. 

“We need to go. We have a portal to the Institute, we just have to get to it”. Alec grabbed Jace by the arm, dragging the blond with him. Jace breath was getting heavier while running along the corridor towards the galley, where the portal was waiting for them. With shock Alec realized that Jace’s abdominal wound was far worse than he had first thought. The quickly applied Iratze helped a bit, but not enough. The gash started bleeding again. Jace pressed a hand to the bleeding, trying to sill it. He looked up at Alec, shaking his head. Both boys had enough experience with injuries to know, that they needed to heal Jace soon, otherwise the wound would be fetal. But for now a second Iratze had to be sufficient, they needed to get to the portal first. 

Alec felt his heart beating faster, they were nearly there, he could already see the door to the galley. But it was blocked with two of Valentine’s followers, both seemed ready to strike. Without thinking, he positioned himself between the two opponents and themselves, shielding Jace with his own body. A small noise from Jace made him look up to the blond, who had a devilish grin on his face. “Leave the boy to me”, he commanded the two Cirlce members, “he is mine.” Both men hesitated for a second, looking doubtingly at the son of their leader – but this was enough for Jace to draw two knives, throwing them with both hands in one quick move towards them. Without making a noise, both men fell to the floor. The knives had pierced their hearts, they were dead in an instant. The boys jumped over the bodies, opening the door where the portal waited for them. 

Jace’s white Shirt was soaked in blood, reminding Alec that they were running out of time. But where was Izzy? Had she already portaled back? He had updated her that he had found Jace and that they were coming, but now she was nowhere to be seen. As both boys were aware of the glamour they could see through it and when detecting the portal, Jace went straight for it. He was just a step away, when both hurt a faint noise, coming from the corridor outside. “Izzy!” Alec heard himself scream. If Alec had not been helplessly in love with Jace anyway, his heart had flown out to him in that exact moment. Without any sign of hesitation, Jace turned around. Instead of taking the one step towards safety, he readied himself to fight again, regardless of the pain he must certainly be in and regardless of the fact that he had never met the girl, the pain in Alec’s voice enough to lead him the way.

Both boys ran to the door where they found Izzy in a feverish battle with some kind of minor demon. In a joint effort they were able to kill it quickly. But Jace had lost a lot of blood by now, Alec realized that he was nearly stumbling over his own feet. “I got you” he said softly and put an arm around the younger boy’s waist. He carried him more than Jace was able to walk himself, but they made it to the portal before more Circle members could get to them. Holding each other tightly, the three of them jumped through the portal, closing it immediately afterwards. They landed ruggedly on the floor, finally safe.

But Jace was barely conscious now, light red blood pouring out of the wound. Alec kneeled beside him, applying another Iratze, which nearly instantly vanished. Izzy was already on the phone talking feverishly to somebody. Alec applied another healing rune and another, all vanishing in mere seconds. Jace lay very still, he looked so small, Alec thought. He could see that the blond was fighting very hard to stay awake. When he was able to focus on Alec, a smile lit up his face, despite the pain and fear he must feel. “You saved me Alec” he managed to choke out with a trembling voice. “I love you” – and with that, he closed his eyes, drawing in one last, rattling breath. 

Alec felt tears streaming down his face; this could not be happening. With shaking hands he applied another Iratze, screaming at the younger boy to wake up and talk to him again. “Don’t you dare do that to me Jace, don’t you dare!” Jace eyes flew open a little bit and closed again, a distant smile playing around his lips. Before Alec could do or say more, he was shoved to the side. He felt Izzy’s strong arms wrapping around him, while he watched Magnus stepping closer to Jace, blue magic pouring from his open palms, dancing above Jace’s body. He could only sit still and watch, tears still streaming down his cheeks, while Magnus’s magic slowly closed the deep wound. When Magnus was done, he stepped away, exhaustion clearly written across his face. To Alec’s greatest relieve, Jace started to stir again. With a sigh Alec crouched next to him, leaning his forehead against Jace’s. “I love you too” he sobbed placing a gentle kiss to Jace’s bruised lips. 

Removing the Circle rune and the tracking spell was not pleasant. Jace was still weak and the procedure painful. But they didn’t have a choice, they needed to act quickly before anyone noticed what they were doing. They applied a silence rune to the whole secret passage, so that Jace’s screams would stay unheard. Magnus was really helpful and soothed as much pain as possible with his magic, still it was an ordeal. Alec held Jace’s head in a firm grip to the side to grant Izzy better access to the rune, murmuring sweet distractions into Jace’s ears. When the device started to do its work, Jace tried to grit his teeth and stifle any noise, but in the end he could not help it. The pain was too overwhelming and he started to scream and try to fight against the hold. Even if it pained Alec to watch Jace suffer like that, he did not waver and held Jace steadily to the ground. When the rune was finally erased, Izzy applied the antidote to remove all traces of demon poison. By the end of the procedure, all three of them were coved in sweat and tears. But they were alive and after Magnus confirmed that Jace could no longer be tracked, Izzy pulled both boys in a tight hug. “Welcome to the family, Jace” she smiled. 

Izzy and Alec had prepared the secret room so that Jace could stay there hidden for a while. They had brought pillows, blankets and food. As Alec refused to leave Jace’s side while he recovered, it was up to Izzy to cover up for Alec, which she happily did. Once or twice Alec was forced to leave Jace to show his face to his parents, but besides that he stayed with the blond, laying gladly next to him, watching him sleep and rest.

When Izzy brought them finally the liberating news that the Operation Morning Star had been a complete success and Valentine and most of his followers had been killed, they felt relieved. One thing less to worry about. The Clave used the Circle runes to track down the remaining Circle members, soon no one would be left to be able to identify Jace as Valentine’s son. Nevertheless, they had to come up with a plan how to introduce Jace to the world. 

Of course they could run away, but a life on the run was not the future Alec had pictured for him or Jace, and especially not for Izzy. And there was no way that he would leave Izzy behind, there had to be a way for all of them. It was Izzy who came up with the best idea. When she came down to the hidden room to share her thoughts, she found Jace curled up on Alec’s lap, laying calmly on the older boy’s thighs, with his eyes closed. Alec was running a hand gently through Jace’s hair, watching him with a dreamy expression in his eyes. When Alec felt Izzy’s presence, he looked up, locking eyes with her, both smiling.

Izzy started to lay out her plan. As Alec was nearly old enough, he would announce to take his travel year, something a lot of Shadowhunters did when coming of age. It meant that they would spent a couple of month or a year abroad at another Institute to get to know the customs and procedures there. When coming back, Alec would bring Jace with him and tell the others that they had met during his travel and that he was a Shadowhunter from London. A Herondale, to be precise. Izzy had done a lot of research and found out, that there was a missing line of Herondales. One Herondale woman had been sentenced to death while being pregnant for a crime her husband had committed. A warlock had been there to rescue the unborn child and from then on, this line of Herondales lived a mundane life, hidden from the Shadow World. During the war with Valentine, the Clave had searched for lost Shadowhunters or mundanes with the sight all over the world to replenish its army, therefore the story of Jace being one of the detected Shadowhunters would not be suspicious. “Jace Herondale, doesn’t sound so bad.” Jace proclaimed with a broad grin. “You are amazing, Izzy!” Alec nodded in agreement, but his sister was not done yet. She told them that she had learned from Magnus, that there was a clinic in London, which had specialized in plastic surgery. They could remove the scars on Jace’s face, or at least make them less visible. Jace was silent for a while. “I really appreciate your thoughtfulness, Izzy, but the scars belong to me now. They remind me where I came from and what I never want to be. Besides, your brother is in deed pretty enough for the both of us”, he added with a smirk, catching Alec’s eye. 

The one problem which remained was Maryse and Robert Lightwood. They would never agree to Alec’s travel year, as they wanted him to prepare for the title of Head of Institute. But Izzy had also found a solution for that. “First of all, I think it would be best for you two to become Parabatai as soon as possible. I know you have been thinking of it anyway, and it would protect you. When you are already Parabatai, our parents will think twice to send Jace away or reveal him to the Clave. If this is not enough to prevent them, we will blackmail them. We know that they have been members of the Circle and I also have proof of it. I found Mom’s old journal, so if they try to pull something we can hand it over to the Clave. But I don’t think they will go against us, they are too afraid of being marked as traitors.”

Alec was stunned. He looked at Izzy, who had a determined expression on her face. His little sister had grown up, he realized sadly. And she was ready to sacrifice the remaining bond to their parents, for his own happiness. Before he could speak up, she continued. “I know what you want to say, Alec. That is why I suggest for you to become Parabatai first. This gives us a strong point in regards to our parents without being forced to blackmail them. But if they threaten you two in any way, I’m ready to do it. You have always been the one to be there for me, to love me. They never were there. I don’t think they even know what real love is. So if I have to make a choice, I’ll do it without any regrets. Magnus knows a Silent Brother who can perform the bonding ceremony, if you are up for it”. 

Alec pulled Izzy in a tight hug, not knowing how to express his thankfulness. Her support and her approval of his relationship with Jace meant so much to him. Over Izzy’s head, he locked eyes with Jace, both nodding and smiling at each other. Of course they were up for being Parabatai. He already felt so close to the other boy, sharing one soul would be the cherry on top. To be able to feel Jace the whole time was something he could not quite imagine, but longed for nevertheless. 

Suddenly, Jace spoke up. “You are coming with us to London, aren’t you Izzy?”

“Of course you idiot. Someone has to watch out for you and save your asses.” Izzy laughed, extending on hand. “Three go in” she said with a rough voice. 

Also extending their hands, covering Izzy’s with theirs, the two boys joint in simultaneously:

“Three come out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my story. As always, comments & kudos are greatly appreciated :-)


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